Tilak Varma, India’s middle-order batter, suffered an injury during the present Vijay Hazare Trophy, dealing a huge blow to the country’s preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Although the injury is not significant, he is certain to miss the forthcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on January 21 in Nagpur.
With Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh already in the squad, both of whom can play in the middle order, the selectors will need to recruit a player to replace the Hyderabad batter. As Tilak remains out for the New Zealand series and a potential threat to the T20 World Cup, CricTracker examines individuals who can serve as a like-for-like replacement.
Here are 3 players who can replace Tilak Varma in India T20I team:
1. Devdutt Padikkal
And, Devdutt Padikkal has been in good form across formats in domestic cricket, especially in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Karnataka batsman has accumulated an astonishing 620 runs already in just 7 innings at an average of 91.42. He was in good form even in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 309 runs from six matches at a strike rate of 167.02.
The selectors will look at the Karnataka batsman as a replacement for the injured youngster for the series against New Zealand, given that Shaw’s fitness and availability is in doubt. He also is a left-hand batting option.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Into the mix, you can always throw in someone like Ruturaj Gaikwad who has done well in domestic cricket for Maharashtra and could arguably be seen as Tilak’s replacement. The 28-year-old consistently demonstrated his prowess on the international stage too and would be a good player to have in these conditions given his adaptable gameplay. Arguably more of an opener, Gaikwad has batted down too in the IPL where he plays for Chennai Super Kings.
For the uninitiated, Gaikwad was overlooked for India’s ODI squad against New Zealand despite doing well in the recently concluded series versus South Africa. But now, he can well make a shock return to the Men in Blue setup for the T20I series.
3. Shreyas Iyer
One high-profile name that can return to India’s T20 squad is Shreyas Iyer. The middle-order batsman has been declared fit to feature and announced his return to the middle with a fine 82 off just 53 balls for Mumbai versus Himachal Pradesh in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.
An IPL-winning captain, Iyer has been out of the selectors’ radar when it comes to the shortest format. He last featured in a T20I over three years ago, but may be parachuted into the team after Tilak Varma’s injury as he also has leadership credentials in his locker and a strong profile as an IPL captain.
